The Kenda Havok tires barely break
into the “plus” range at 2. 6 inches
wide. This is a favorite size among
many riders, as they’re narrow enough
to knife along precise lines on a trail
without ballooning, yet wide enough to
keep you out of trouble in small, rutted
areas and roll more easily over sand
and loose dirt.

A Shimano SLX 1x11 drivetrain
helps keep gearing tidy and still lets
you easily climb hills, but it’s almost not
necessary. A KMC Blacktech anti-rust
chain helps keep you from snapping
the chain under load from your legs,
plus the 80 Nm of torque from the
motor.

WHO IT’S MADE FOR?

This is definitely not a beginner’sbike. It’s made for advanced, all-moun-tain riders who want serious powerassist without adding a ton of weightto the bike. The level of geometry andcomponents is designed to feel athome on most any terrain, even reallytechnical, rocky areas, and it’s built tolast with workhorse components likethe Shimano SLX brakes.

THE MOTOR

This is the first time we’ve had a
new E8000 motor from Shimano for a
full test. We first rode them a couple
of months ago on a few different bikes
at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey.
Power delivery is very smooth, there’s
no surprises, torque starts from lower
cadence and there’s no shortage of
that torque. It’s very predictable and
user-friendly, especially to those who
are not used to electric assist.

The Shimano SLX display is small and out
of the way, yet it lets you easily see speed,
battery life and current assist mode.

The RockShox Monarch RL shock was supple off the top of the
stroke and smooth on the bottom. The 140mm of travel was just
enough for all-mountain riding.

Shimano’s new E8000 motor is smaller than almost anything
else on the market and lighter and more powerful than the
previous E6000 motor. It’s buttery smooth in power delivery!

Having 80 Nm of torque is huge, and
toggling between the three levels of
assist proved to be better than shifting
the rear derailleur most of the time. It’s
almost like having a front derailleur. We
only shifted actual gears on the steepest
of sections. Otherwise, the middle of the
rear cassette was fine for most riding.
Shifting the assist levels is the same
type of trigger shifter as on the right
side of the bars for the rear derailleur.

THE RIDE

As soon as we started riding the
Haro, we felt right at home. The ergonomics simply fit us perfectly. Climbing
over some rocks and up and down a
couple of hills with a few drop-offs and
hits, the suspension felt supple off the
top of the stroke with no harsh bot-tom-out.